CandyGyrl1985

I agree with the other posters. If I were you - I would PICK ONE AREA of priority and focus there. If you are just getting your LPN so you can work while you get your BSN - I would consider being a CNA instead so it doesnt lower the grades of your priority area. BUT if you are doing LPN so you can bridge - I would focus on LPN... Since you cant bridge to RN without first acheiving LPN... Just narrow down your goals into steps and take one step at a time.

OMG - I died laughing!!! That's hilarious! :lol_hitti

here is what i do to protect myself and my family: when i get home from work - i remove my scrubs - turn them inside out and put them in a laundry basket designated for my work clothes. i remove my shoes before entering the house and keep them in the garage.:anpom: i spray lysol on my shoes and the bottoms... i will also lysol the laundry basket...:clpty: use hand sanitizer between hand washings... wash your hands or better yet shower when you get home.... if a particular patient has a cold - wash your hands immediately and be aware of your hands touching linens and then making contact with your clothes or face... :thankya: take a multivitamin if applicable:hotchocolate: exercise outside of work:monkeydance: eat well:cheers: laugh often and i may just be paranoid- but if the patient sneezes and i am within contact range - when i leave the room i blow my nose... is this effective- most likely not lol but it makes me feel better.

I think that there are A FEW (not most - but a few) people out there who just think about nursing as $$$ or a way to climb up a ladder to quick power and respect. These FEW people do tend to not really care about the ideals and love behind nursing. But I also believe that these are the people who do not succeed for one reason or another. Honestly, if you dont have a heart for the patients - it wont matter how smart you are or how great your work ethics might be... Your days revolve around patients - there is no way to cut them out of the middle.

as a mother of 3 , i know how you feel. i decided to do an accelerated nursing program because i just dont have the years to dedicate to school with 3 young babies. so, i am going into a 1 yr lpn program and after all of my kids are in school i will bridge to rn. i have a 3.75 gpa ... i volunteered with a hospice organization and put in 75 hours in 2 months... i took psychology, sociology, english, medical terminology, and lpn math through the community college (my nursing school considered these classes as part of the evaluation to get in.) i also received my cna. i was approved for nursing school in no time:nurse:. so my advice is do a little volunteer work to sweeten your application and give you more experiences. and go for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dont be afraid to ask questions. Do not be intimated by the instructor. Do not be intimated by the patient. BE CONFIDENT even when you are so scared you think you peed yourself

Can LPNs be school nurses? What do you typically do in your field? What is a typical day in your shoes like? Thanks, Candace

Sometimes it is appropriate to tell instead of ask... For example some patients when asked if they want a bath will say no... But if you come in and say Its time for your bath they will comply. If they truly do not want a bath or whatever - believe me they will let you know.

This site has helped me learn about many specialties in nursing that I had no access to. This includes: Correctional nursing, burn unit nursing, labor and delivery nursing and many other areas. Not only that, but this site is a great tool to use for venting, researching, and getting advice from other nurses.

Today, I am writing a letter of congrats to my best friend who is graduating from the BSN nursing program. As I sat here and tried to come up with witty words of encouragement I realized that I had no idea where to begin. I will be starting the LPN program in a few days and have no true graduation insight on which to share with her. So my question for all of your seasoned nurses is: What would you say to prepare a new grad? What would you say to encourage and inspire a new grad? Any other advice or love to share regarding nursing? Basically, I am at a creative loss since I cant even imagine what a day in your shoes might be. Of coorifice- I can come up with the basics to this letter, but I am reaching for something with a little bit more depth and understanding. Please please help me! I have pondered this topic for days now, and still have no idea where to start....

I do not see a grey area at all. If the man is lucid - aware - and able to make coherent decisions that is his choice. You have no idea what the circumstances were. Maybe she has a hard knock life and he felt that she could use it - so he told her to get what she needed... Either way it was his choice. There is nothing you can do. It might not be what most of us would do, however the man is entitled to do as he pleases. Whether he is disabled is neither here nor there. This happens all the time in the world to people of all walks of life and health status. If the police and a lawyer both agreed that it was legal - why press the issue? Educate the man on people taking advantage of him and let it go. Why would you want to call someones employer if the issue is legal? Morals and ethics are not always black and white - as your post title states - grey areas. Some people are less moral than others... I personally believe God will give the come around ten fold to people who are dishonest like this. But there is a difference between someone being less moral than another by taking advantage of a patient and someone doing something illegal and being legally responsible to report it to their employer. On a lighter note, it is a wonderful that you are so compassionate and caring for this man. You have a heart for him and your job - dont lose that. Try to remember that things have a way of coming back around to people.

Because hot hot hot water will raise internal temps.... (kind of morbid but I always thought of it like boiling a chicken.) I think the reason has something to do with the baby not being able to sweat & the heat turns up your heart rate causing stress to the baby??? But I could be wrong. Either way you dont want to submerge or steam in water over 100 F.

Its a LARGE can of worms.... The chances of it going smooth are 50% and the chances of it blowing up are 50%. I would say - that if the FACILITY agrees with you to have the conversation - with a WITNESS then go for it (tactfully of coorifice)... Then as others have said document it. That way you butt is covered and the nurse will realize that if anything more comes of it - it could cost her dearly. As long as your facility is by your side and you are not stepping over the professional line or making threats to fire if she does not delete the resident - than it SHOULD be fine... But as for the worms - she might resent you... She might gossip about you... She might complain to managers about you and claim that she has the right to her own privacy outside of work, etc.... The facility might throw you under the bus if push came to shove since you are the one who originally had the problem, etc... Think out your decision and decide which causes MORE PROBLEMS FOR YOU either way. Good luck - let us know how it goes...

I know what you mean about sounding morbid... I worry about what other people think when I get excited about medically gross things... It is sad that the patient did not make it. It is also exciting that you were able to get your first code under your belt!!! ~Just Living the Dream~ :redbeathe

Wow! I finally found someone else going to Kaplan here in Vegas!!! That is so awesome! Are you excited? I am thrilled - but like everyone else here tired of waiting...

Do you think you told her she was going to the Er or are you sure you told her? Either way - it was an error that I am sure you will never have happen again. What you could have done to cover your butt was document that call you made to the family member and the basic statement you made. Everyone makes mistakes... And just fyi - if you did accidentally forget to tell her she was going to the ER and or you told her the resident was fine when they were not- imagine what the family felt when they found out otherwise. Put yourself if their shoes if someone was caring for your mother, father, sister, son, etc... and this happened - would you want to know all the details even if they were scary? What if the resident had a bleed and died before the family was notified - that would have put you on the chopping block bc the family would have missed out on being at the hospital when she first arrived. Do you see where I am going with this. I wouldnt focus so much on the write up - but focus more on the what ifs - so you can be sure that if there is a next time- this error wont happen again. Oh and I wouldnt tell the DON that you think you told her that her family member was going to the ER. To be honest it makes you sound really ditzy... (not to be rude, I mean no disrespect) The truth of the matter is, what happened to the pt was a HUGE deal and if I were the DON I would wonder why you would not remember something as detrimental as accurately informing the patients family of what is going on. Best of Luck - try not to dwell on it. As I said before mistakes happen to everyone, we are human not perfect. (sorry for all the grammar and english errors I having a lazy day and dont want to correct them lol)

I have personally witnessed one of my instructors "targeting" students they either 1 - did not like or 2 - thought they would not make a good nurse. My teacher was wonderful with me except for one occasion in which she decided to yell at me in front of a patient... The belittlement went on for a good 5 minutes before I had enough abuse and calmly looked her in the eyes and said "I understand that I made an error, but your tone and choice of words are out of line and offensive." She was so shocked that I was not afraid to let her know she was crossing a professional boundary that She NEVER EVER EVER mistreated me again. However, I was #1 in the class academically and I was also the girl that would argue for hours over a question marked incorrect when I could find proof of otherwise. So I think she understood that I would not tolerate blatent abuse. That said - I did ON MANY MANY occasions watch her purposely set students up to fail. She once told me that she wasnt going to pass a philapino student bc english was her 2nd language and she didnt think she "got" it. Well this particular student was abused over and over until one day she left the clinical in tears - it turned out the instructor didnt have to fail her after all. The overwhelming abuse and constant fear of humiliation got the best of her and she left. There are SOME instructors that are a nightmare! And I am sorry if you were the target of one of them. My heart goes out to you! Appeal - appeal - appeal! And ask fellow students if they ever witnessed the teacher being clearly unprofessional with you... If you can get another student who witnessed the instructor being unfair, then you might have more evidence to win your appeal.

Why did you give the injection in another site? What site did you inject in? Were there other issues going on or warnings given from the teacher? Can you provide more info on what exactly happened that day? I am really sorry to hear about this. I can only imagine how frustrating and sad this would be. Have you started an appeal? Or talked to someone in the program?

Your story was so touching and left so many questions for me that I googled your brothers name... I found a website you created to honor his memory. A lot of things went through my mind as I read the details on the pages.... My first thoughts on your story were so sad and pained at the thought of such a sweet boy lost and the impact it has had on you and other peoples lives.... My second thought was how terrible it truly is to have someone you love snatched from your life - and to have so many unanswered questions... As I studied his picture I thought he has the most beautiful eyes and such a sweet loving face. Your brother was beautiful. I am so so so deeply touched by your story and I thank you and commend you for sharing it. (I hope you dont mind that I found the site and am mentioning it- I mean no disrespect.) You sound like a VERY STRONG woman and I would be honored to have someone as compassionate and caring as you for my nurse. You have a heart of gold and you are a survivor. You are right, a sister never forgets and I am sure if he were here today he would be overwhelmed with admiration, love and honor that you kept his memory alive and burning.... You are a hero in your trials and I pray that God blesses your life and those lives you will continue to touch by sharing this heart breaking story.

My reading comprehension skills are just fine. Maybe you need a communications class. Correct me if I am wrong but you words were: "...I've noticed quite a few people anywhere from overweight to just downright FAT at our school..." followed by "majority of these people ACTUALLY ride the elevator up one level..." then followed by "how are you going to be on your feet all day as an RN?" Your words not mine. From what I read you categorized overweight people + riding an elevator = difficulty working on your feet as an RN. If you are still having problems comprehending why you are receiving posts about your attitude maybe you should consider a people skills class also... And on a lighter note - I can understand why you are so uptight & rude... That stick has been wedged up you a $ $ for a while hasnt it? Sorry - maybe its my blood sugar talking again. To the OP - sorry for deviating from the topic. I wish you the best. Every situation is different and I truly hope you find you niche. It might not have worked out well with this job, but that does not mean the end of your career. Nor does it mean that all nursing jobs will be just like the one you tried. Keep your head up and keep going.

Yey! I am so excited... The moment is quickly approaching... Only 9 days left and believe me I am counting..... 7 days until orientation! Yey!!! Words cant describe my excitement! CONGRATS to all my fellow LPN/LVN students!!!! Anyone else starting Kaplan 12/2 in Las Vegas?

Keep your head up! I would look at the other nurses not appearing to be stressed as a GREAT sign. It probably means that they acclimated to the pace and chaos and you will also. It is overwhelming and stressful being in a different environment (and I believe that going from nights to days can be that way, its just a whole other animal.) Just keep going - remind yourself that "this to shall pass." One day you will look back and think, wow I cant believe I thought I couldnt swing this. You can do it, just re-adjust your attitude a little and remember that you will adapt and you will ROCK IT! I so know how you feel about the lunchs. I worked private duty and work from 8-8 day shift - 5 days a week. I NEVER get a break and forget about lunch. I believe that adds to my problem of getting overwhelmed. We have to get at least A break so we can recharge and get back to work. We are not energizer bunnies! Try your best to at least get a break or 2 in - even if you still cant get lunch.... Or talk with your manager about being able to get a cover while you take your breaks and lunches. You can do it!

This is off topic- but responding to another poster Wow! That was pretty judgmental. As a "fat girl" I would like to say - that I have 3 small children, I take care of my mother, and I work five 12 hour shifts as CNA. I have many reasons or excuses for being overweight... None of which are relevant to anyone but myself. However, I can say that I can not only pull my own weight, but the weight of other people I have worked with. I might just look like "the fat lazy girl riding the elevator" but in reality it will be me you call when you have a 400# patient you cant roll and it will be me who over hears you whinning about how tired you might be. It is sad when someone just assumes that an overweight person should be taking the stairs or an overweight person will have a heck of a time as an RN. I may be fat - fluffy - over weight -chunky - or whatever you might call it - but I am also able to stand on my feet for 12 hours - five days a week - turn around come home change diapers, make dinner, clean my house, give baths, iron my clothes, do the shopping for a family of 7 and start my day over again. I may be "fat" but just because I take the elevator DOES NOT mean that at the end of the day I cant do laps around someone who is a size 2. Off my Soap Box now... And of coorifice to clarify I am not saying that all overweight people fall into this category. Nor am I referring to all people smaller than me having less on their "plate." I am just saying that the clear judgement of this person was made with little thought of other factors in life. :offtopic: :hdvwl: :oornt:

CSN only accepts about 25 students a year for LPN. That is it. If you go to the Board of nursing web site the only other LPN school is Kaplan. CSN is a 2 yr program.... Kaplan is a 1 yr program. Kaplan accepts about 120 students a year - 60 per semester. I chose Kaplan bc an accellerated program was what I need since I have 3 small children, I am single and I take care of my sick mom. Money was not an issue for me. And as the PP said - CSN does not have a wait list. So there is NO guarentee that you will get in this year, next year or the year after that. I have a 3.75 GPA, 100 hours volunteer & work health care experience, I am a CNA, and I only have 2 classes left to apply for the RN program... But for me - the risk of someone having a highere GPA or scoring higher on the TEAS was not worth it. If you really think about how many students apply for the LPN program - it only takes 25 of them to be better than you.... Kaplan was a sure thing, and for my situation was a perfect fit. But if you have time on your side - I would go for CSN. Its more laid back and you can bridge to the RN program with it.

Yey! I start in 11 days! Well technically Nov 30th is the all day orientation! I am so excited!